Babysitting Briefing

[Owen Matthews 0]

Thanks to Sam Kent for helping out

Owen quickly crossed the NNC to one of thr briefing rooms in the back. Fifteen minutes earlier he had sent a message to all Platoon and Squad officers to meet him there. Now it was time to work out a decent plan for their peacekeeping mission. Though Owen preferred the term Buzzsaw had used: Babysitting. Because that is what it basically was. Only that their "babies" might play with explosives and weapons instead of toys. When he entered the room he looked around to see if everyone was present. Then he strode to the front and faced the assembled Marines.

 

Tactical Sergeant Nichols stood in one corner of the briefing room, her generally dark expression even deeper than usual as she waited for the briefing to begin. She was not thrilled with the contingent's upcoming assignment; hardly the guns-blazing, blood-and-glory type of thing most of them had signed up for, but sitting around, all tensed up with nowhere to go. That sort of limbo was more like hell for someone like Nichols. She looked up as Matthews entered the room and gave him a nod of greeting.

 

Buddha let his gaze sweep through the room once more. After a metal roll call he started without greeting. "Alright, I think by now everyone knows of our new mission to oversee elections on Acamar. I want every single fireteam down on the planet at strategic points. We need to show presence so make sure people see you. Sergeants Green and Nichols as well as myself will coordinate our efforts from headquarters which we will set up on Acamar so we'll be on scene in case we're needed. Everyone is to carry a standard issue phaser rifle as well as the usual sidearms. I don't think I have to mention phaser nets. Questions?" Owen looked around the small room again, waiting to see if anyone had a question or more likely a comment. It didn't escape his notice that Roarke, Mendez and Whyberd were muttering among eachother, shaking their heads.

 

Nichols said nothing. It was really extraordinarily simple; more about making an impression than any real tactical skill. She wasn't worried. She noticed a few of the squad sergeants muttering near her and kicked Roarke's chair sharply. "Got something to say, say it," she muttered, wondering what they could possibly have to discuss.

 

Owen noticed the muttering getting louder. He pointed to Nichols whose voice he had heard last and looked at her. "Why don't you share whatever you have to say, Sergeant Nichols?"

 

Nichols leaned back against the wall and scowled at the younger officers as she got busted for their chit-chat. "Trying to encourage my young friends here to speak up if they've got a comment, sir," she said curtly.

 

"I see." Owen looked at the three men sitting in front of Nichols but none of them seemed inclined to speak up. After another long moment Matthews nodded. "Alright, you know what to do. Dismissed. Sergeant Nichols, would you please stay."

 

Nichols grunted acknowledgment and shifted to let the younger officers file out past her, then looked back expectantly at Matthews as the room emptied.

 

When everyone but Nichols and himself had left, Matthews picked up a PADD and handed it to the Sergeant. "I fear that this mission won't be as easy as it sounds. I trust you are familiar with the situation on Acamar?"

 

Nichols took the PADD and glanced at it before looking at the captain with a cocked eyebrow. "Yeah, I know what's going on. What's complicated about it? Sitting around with cocked guns to scare people into not using theirs."

 

"Heh, yeah sounds easy enough but I have a hunch that some of the people won't be scared enough. I'm pretty sure neither of the both sides will appreciate our showing up. Please make sure Daniels and Diamonte take this assignment as seriously as any other." Owen wasn't happy with babysitting either but he wasn't foolish. He knew that a seemingly easy mission could go south so quickly you'd hardly have time to react. A bomb, a randomly fired phaser, people throwing bricks...all these things had happened before and there was not much they could do to prevent it.

 

Nichols gave a tight smile at the mention of her squad sergeants, hearing an implicit jab at her own confidence. "They'll take it seriously, sir, or I'll have them on weapons inventory for a year. They're smart kids, they know what they're doing." She paused, her dark eyes searching Owen's face. "You really think the fuse is gonna go on this one, Buddha?" She had done peacekeeping before; sometimes it really was as simple as she called it, and sometimes it wasn't, and it was awfully hard to tell in advance which was which.

 

Owen shrugged, picked up another PADD lying around and perused it for a moment before speaking. "It's just a hunch but if someone else higher up didn't think there might be trouble why send us instead of getting a real assignment and kicking some serious Soltan ass? None of us is happy with the mission but it's our job to follow orders and if we're ordered to babysit that's what we'll do. If someone complains you may want to remind them that noone is forced to be here...not anymore."

 

Nichols chuckled. "Yes, sir," she said, and snapped off a salute. "You'll hear no whining from Delta, sir."

 

Matthews couldn't help but smile at the reply. "Very well. In that case you are dismissed Sergeant unless you have any other questions."

 

"No, sir, thank you," Nichols said with a curt shake of the head. "I suppose I'll see you on Acamar, sir." With that, she turned on her heel and stalked from the room.